President Bush

[barracuda]

Now, about the WMDs...did Bush really lie about them? Or did he just make an honest mistake? I fully believe the latter...he is only human, after all...unless you could prove me wrong.

I can only guess having not been there during the decision making. The peculiar thing is that the administration obsessed over Iraq shortly after coming to office. Then, during the drum up to the invasion, there was an attempt to connect Iraq to international terrorism and the 9/11 attack, despite the lack of any such connection. These along with the supposed WMDs lead me to believe that Bush either lied or was dangerously easy to manipulate.

[Jeebus]

@ Barracuda, Jeebus: I see. I won't break my promise and argue, but I will tell you that I did mention that there were to be no personal attacks on Bush in this forum starter. See, name-calling brings down the validity of arguments. Do you really take the "Obama is Satan"-type people seriously? No, because their attacks on the President destroys any validity of their arguments! It works both ways.

I called no one a name or made any personal attacks so why attach me to this post?

[barracuda]

I called no one a name or made any personal attacks so why attach me to this post?

Same here. I've been going out of my way to be polite. If you feel I've made an offensive comment or personal attack, please bring it to my attention so I may take corrective action.

[Geoff8201]

I think it'll be more relevant, rather than just looking at where Bush went wrong, is what the History books will say about him, and what people 20 years, 40 years, 60 years and so on down the line will think. Personally I think it'll be read / thought of as this (feel free to add things or disagree, cause I know you will!):

*Being elected in the closest and most Contested Election to date, where the word of the Supreme Court decided him as the winner in amidst of the Florida recounts.

* A lame duck Presidency for the first 8 months.

* His emergence as a leader and Uniter following the 9/11 attacks (hey, even John Kerry commended him on this and I will too).

* The war in Afghanistan and for the next 7 years not quite being able to ever catch Bin Laden.

* The Iraq war... a war in which no one, generations down the line, will really understand why we were there in the first place. "Mission Accomplished".

* Removing Saddam Hussein - the good. Basing going to war on WMDs, which were never there - the bad. The cost of this war - more bad. The loss of US and British troops - even more bad. Bush may be just a man, but a man with an entire Military Intelligence, and hundreds of advisers that are supposed to know not go to war unless its truly necessary. The theories may not be written in history books, but it will be talked about that they went there to opportunistically to seize Middle East oil.

* The lack of response following Hurricane Katrina.

* Rising gas prices, an economy heading into a Recession, people losing their wealth, homes, and jobs worsening during the end of his second term.

* Him leaving the Office on a low point and how the last 8 years contribute to his successor, Barack Obama, getting elected.